Welcome to my twelve painted ladies of the Zodiac. Before I introduce them to you, listen for a while to the how and why of their beginnings. It was March of 2001 and I was in Rome Italy seeking art in all the right churches, so many churches, so little time. In the middle of the last century those Christian faithful had so many saints to choose from, so many versions of “Holy Mother” to petition, and all had their own domain or sphere of influence. I began to think of our choices now in the twenty first century. Wouldn’t you like to have some higher being in the know both here and on the other side to intercede for you and to intercede in her own field of expertise? Yes, so would I and I began to imagine creating such a collection of super heroines (women always have more time to listen to our problems, don’t you agree?).

At first, I thought of dozens, one for every week of the year, and soon with ideas flying up the chimney, I knew the project needed structure, at least a framework and yes some limit. How about a single dozen, the perfect Babylonian, Arabic, Greek and Roman dozen. Yes! The Zodiac was just the ticket with one goddess or saint or “Lady” per month. Astrology had fascinated me since 1974 when my neighbor, Spinster Bennet, taught me to use an almanac and plant by the signs. In 2002 I threw myself into work and study on astrology, religion, mythology, symbology, and low and behold the painted ladies began to step down from my easel. One after another they entered my life like twelve parts of a mystical psyche, none complete on her own, but together a powerful presence, a goddess. She arrives in the flavors of fire, earth, air, and water with personas of primitive youth, powerful mother, and philosopher of wisdom. Do we have a new religion here? No, my patient seekers, but observe, we do have a new game.